The girls tennis program at Canyon High hasn’t changed much over the years.

The student-athletes have aged, yes. The head coach has grayed, sure.

But longtime Comanches headman Wil Wilkins otherwise fields a near identical lineup this fall to the one he first fielded four seasons ago.

“When you get kids that are this talented, you’re not doing much more as a coach than keeping them organized and handing out snacks,” Wilkins joked. “Winning is really all the girls’ doing.

“We’ve never had this much flexibility and versatility before.”

Canyon has won the last three Century League titles.

Last year’s junior-laden team rallied off 19 straight victories before it fell to Valencia High of Valencia in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.

It was the program’s first undefeated regular season since 1994.

Eight starters from last season’s lineup returned for their senior year, and the Comanches – ranked second in the latest CIF-SS Division 2 poll – remain unblemished in 2013.

“No one likes to lose,” senior Helena Bui said. “And with this team, we go into every match knowing that there’s a good chance we’re going to win.”

Wilkins is quick to redirect credit for Canyon’s success.

He instead lauds the selflessness and unity of his players, as well as the program’s unheralded group of daily contributors.

“These parents all want the kids to get better and the team to win, just as much as I do,” he said. “I’ve heard horror stories about relationships between coaches and parents at other schools. Not here.”

Wilkins has been at Canyon for close to two decades. He failed to reach the postseason only once during his tenure.

Modesty aside, this tennis program doesn’t reach these types of heights without Wilkins at the helm.

“It’s the perfect program,” senior Amanda Zuidema said. “Coach takes time to work with us individually. He motivates us and he gives us confidence. He’s always there to calm us down, too.

“He keeps us tennis players sane.”

Bui and Zuidema are two of the seven seniors who have started since their freshman year.

A starting lineup that features nine seniors is the reason Canyon’s expectations are sky high this fall.

“We’ve been to CIF plenty of times over the years,” Wilkins said. “But we’ve never had the aspirations that we have of going to the playoffs with this team. When you’ve been winning like we have, you can’t wait for the next match.”

Wilkins did his part by bringing this collection of student-athletes together for on-court success.

The veteran team took care of the rest.

“We’ve done a lot of team bonding over the years,” Bui said.

“As teammates, we’ve done everything together,” Zuidema said. “We’ve been through the whole ride together. We’re all close so we have a ton of respect for each other.”

Zuidema has been named Century League Singles Player of the Year three years running. She is being courted by East Coast colleges of all divisions.

Brian Whitehead is a staff reporter at the Orange County Register. Since graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 2010, he has covered high school and college sports and the cities of Buena Park, Fullerton and La Palma.

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